Chapter 150: The Scorching Fire of Jealousy

Lian Yue felt annoyed with herself for forgetting such a detail and could only nod sheepishly. "I know."

Yue Lingjun looked at Lian Yue with a trace of disappointment. Although he desperately wanted to get to the bottom of the matter, his reason told him that now was not the time.

Yue Lingjun cupped his hands toward An Ming and said stiffly, "My apologies." Let us leave this matter be for now.

"Big Brother is truly angry this time. Think about how you’re going to appease him later."

"I know. This is indeed my fault. At first, I only wanted to clarify a few things; I never intended to keep you all in the dark indefinitely. It was just that those questions remained unresolved, so I kept putting it off."

"As long as you understand."

Lian Yue communicated with Meng Chuchen in her heart, forcing herself to avoid glancing at An Ming.

"Niece Yue, is he truly your savior?" Zhou Man finally found an opportunity to interject, his booming voice shattering the quiet atmosphere entirely.

Once the ringing in her ears subsided, Lian Yue looked at Uncle Zhou, who was still waiting for her response, with a pained expression. "Uncle Zhou, please speak more quietly next time."

Zhou Man waved his hand dismissively. "Just tell your Uncle Zhou: yes or no." His voice was noticeably softer this time; it seemed Lian Yue’s words still held weight.

Lian Yue rolled her eyes internally and nodded earnestly. "At first, he had already released me, but I remembered something and went back. We fell off the cliff because I caused the horse to go wild. Furthermore, in the forest, if not for him, I would have either been devoured by beasts or starved to death. So, yes, he is indeed my savior."

As An Ming listened to Lian Yue defend him, the last thin layer of ice in his heart finally melted. "Miss Yue is too kind. If it weren't for my recklessness in abducting you, none of these subsequent events would have occurred." Especially regarding that final incident—a shadow seemed to pass before Yuwen Lingxi’s eyes.

When Zhou Man heard him speak this way, his dissatisfaction diminished significantly. Without any affectation, he cupped his hands toward An Ming and said, "I offended you just now."

"Not at all, Patriarch Zhou, you are too polite." Yuwen Lingxi naturally deflected the praise.

Qiao Bin looked at An Ming thoughtfully, a warm smile gracing his face as he addressed the group. "Very well, now that everything is clear, let us all sit and talk. I am deeply grateful to you all for traveling such a great distance to attend my father's birthday banquet. Let us replace our grievances with friendship over tea."

"Your Highness is too kind." Zhou Man was the first to pick up a teacup and drain it, causing the serving attendant, Yong Chang, to twitch his mouth; such fine Biluochun tea was truly being wasted.

Lian Yue sighed in relief and sat down beside Meng Chuchen. Her eyes drifted uncontrollably toward An Ming, and as their gazes met, she flushed. She busied her hands by pushing the tea lid to clear the foam, though her heart remained far from calm.

Meng Chuchen, who was just bringing the tea to his lips, furrowed his brows. His gaze darted back and forth between Lian Yue and An Ming several times before he quietly continued to drink his tea.

However, when the sound of an argument drifted in from outside the pavilion, Meng Chuchen’s brows locked together again, and his gaze shot toward the figures outside with tangible intensity.

As fate would have it, Qiao Ke was leading Yao Yao and the others along a side path from the rockery toward the Yujing Pavilion, only to run into Qiao Yu, who was arriving from the other side with her maids. It was a case of enemies meeting with particularly venomous glares, especially since Qiao Yu was the one who had first bestowed the nickname "Turkey" upon herself.

Before Yao Yao could speak, Qiao Yu took the initiative to lash out at Qiao Ke: "Ke’er, come here!"

Qiao Ke naturally refused, clutching Yao Yao’s hand tightly and hiding behind her.

Yao Yao was preoccupied with thoughts of Lian Yue and had no desire to miss the excitement, nor did she have the time to deal with Qiao Yu. Without a word, she led Qiao Ke toward the Yujing Pavilion.

The dim-witted Qiao Yu assumed Yao Yao was afraid of her and became even more overbearing. She tried to step forward and shove Yao Yao, but Yao Yao nimbly dodged, causing Qiao Yu to lunge into empty air. If not for the support of the maids brought by Nanny Li, Qiao Yu would surely have fallen face-first into the dirt.

Even worse, Qiao Yu ungratefully shoved the maid aside and sat down on the ground, glaring at Yao Yao with arched brows and shouting, "Why did you push me?"

Even Qiao Ke could not stand such petty tricks. "Eleventh Imperial Sister, Ke’er saw that you fell down yourself."

"Qiao Ke, what does a child like you know! Don't speak nonsense." Qiao Yu’s goal was to attract the attention of Qiao Zhi inside the pavilion. Whenever such incidents occurred in the past, her Sixth Uncle would always stand by her side like a god, upholding "justice" for her.

Yao Yao looked at Qiao Yu’s performance with disdain; it was truly amateurish. She blinked her large, naive eyes and said with a look of grievance, "Princess, what are you saying? How could Yao Yao..." She almost squeezed out two tears, intentionally leaving the rest unsaid. If Qiao Yu were foolish enough, she would surely take the bait.

Indeed, Qiao Yu did not disappoint Yao Yao’s expectations. Seeing her hesitate, she felt a surge of joy and roared at her maids, "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear? She just confessed! Why haven't you tied her up yet?"

Nanny Li, standing nearby, looked at Qiao Yu with pity; the Princess was truly too foolish and insisted on finding opponents beyond her capabilities. Nanny Li had no intention of intervening and was already contemplating how to recount today’s events to the Empress Dowager upon her return; this Eleventh Princess was truly a source of constant trouble.

Just as Qiao Yu was wondering why her Sixth Uncle had not yet appeared, a slender figure walked out of the pavilion. However, his target was the aggrieved-looking Yao Yao. Everyone inside the pavilion possessed martial arts skills; the commotion outside could not escape their ears, and they knew exactly who was at fault without even needing to look.

The moment Qiao Yu wrongly accused Yao Yao, Meng Chuchen’s expression darkened. He walked straight to Yao Yao, pulling his precious treasure into a semi-embrace, and spoke coldly to Qiao Zhi and Qiao Bin, who had followed him out: "Is Your Highness lacking in security? Any stray mad dog can come here and run wild."

As Meng Chuchen carefully held Yao Yao, a spark of jealousy flared in Qiao Yu’s eyes as she sat on the ground. However, seeing that his appearance was slightly inferior to her Sixth Uncle’s, she felt a slight sense of balance.

She did not know that Meng Chuchen had consumed a Transformation Pill; if he were to reveal his true face, it would be on par with Qiao Zhi’s. Lian Yue, for her part, believed Meng Chuchen was actually a cut above Qiao Zhi—though this may have been influenced by the fact that Meng Chuchen’s face resembled her own.

Qiao Yu looked toward Qiao Zhi, who always wore a smile, with a pitiful, pleading gaze, crying out, "Sixth Uncle..."

Lian Yue, who had been watching her act, had long calculated her position to be near Qiao Zhi as they exited the pavilion. With a crafty smile on her lips, she mimicked the tone, using a voice that made her own skin crawl: "Brother Qiao..."

When Qiao Zhi heard this address from Lian Yue, he understood exactly what was happening. Cooperating perfectly, he didn't even glance at Qiao Yu on the ground, instead turning his peach-blossom eyes toward Lian Yue with profound gentleness. "Little Sister Yue, what is it...?"

Lian Yue praised Qiao Zhi’s quick wit internally, while also admiring his acting skills. That gaze looked so deeply affectionate that it was no wonder Qiao Zhi’s reputation was well-earned.

What she did not know was that Qiao Zhi didn't need to act at all. Although he had already decided to bury his feelings and be a silent guardian, this was a genuine outpouring of his heart.

An Ming’s gaze sharpened considerably, and his hands clenched tightly. However, it was not Qiao Zhi’s affection for Lian Yue that bothered him, but rather the gentle way Lian Yue had used that nickname. Back in the forest, Yue’er had called him by that same name. Now that it was someone else, and he was reduced to a mere bystander, he couldn't help but feel a sour ache in his heart.

Yuwen Lingxi observed his change in demeanor and roared internally: *Big Brother, I warned you already—did you see that? Did you see?*

However, neither of them was worried about Qiao Zhi, for they both trusted him deeply.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yu was absolutely infuriated by Qiao Zhi’s performance. She stared viciously at Lian Yue, who was gazing back at Qiao Zhi. *It’s all you, all of you... It’s all because of you... If not for you, the one exchanging such looks with Sixth Uncle should be me—it should be me!!!*

Consumed by jealousy, Qiao Yu instinctively wanted to rush forward and strangle the person who had stolen what belonged to her—yes, strangle her. She scrambled up from the ground and charged toward Lian Yue.